


Brothers In Unison

by ImpulseFunWritinAnon



Series: Undertale: Short Battle Stories [6]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Brotherly Love, Chara is a manipulative brat, Death, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Frisk Needs A Hug, Gen, Genocide Frisk, Gore, Not your typical brotherly bonding, Papyrus Needs A Hug, Papyrus asks a lot of questions, Sans and Papyrus fight Frisk, Sans is horrible, Spoilers - Genocide Route
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-21
Updated: 2016-05-24
Packaged: 2018-06-03 14:02:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6613453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImpulseFunWritinAnon/pseuds/ImpulseFunWritinAnon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AKA: "Sans & Papyrus vs Genocide Frisk"</p><p>The two skeleton brothers fight side-by-side against Frisk in the Final Corridor, in their last stand against the human's murderous rampage. </p><p>Update: Soon.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Time Has Come, To Talk Of Many Things

**Author's Note:**

> Spoiler alert: Papyrus lives to see another day in this Genocide run. Who would have thought?

It was a frosty Tuesday morning in the peaceful town of Snowdin. Too peaceful. It was much too quiet today; everybody else either has either tragically fallen down, or ran away. The inn was empty, the town square surrounding the decorated, lit tree was crowdless. The noisy, active bar was shut down, with no one to tend, and no tender to man the bar. The Snowdin river was eerily silent; no one was there to lift and throw the manufactured giant, frozen cubes anymore. All that was left in the water were the remaing ripples from the last glacier tossed; its light waves gently caressed the riverbank once more. The path to the east was shrouded in a heavy snow flurry, soon to clash with the cooling mist from the darkest damp caves. In the midst of the climate change, two shadows stood on opposite sides of the only path leading to Waterfall. One was a child. A flimsy weapon was wielded in their right hand. They fiddled and rubbed the handle with their fingers in anticipation; they looked eager to use it. As the snow cleared, the powdery substance nearest their palms became apparent. This was not the same snow on their shoulders, but the remains of their helpless, unaware victims.

 

On the other end stood the tall, loud skeleton, Papyrus. What he saw in the child scared them to no end deep inside. Being who Papyrus is, of course, they saw good in them. As always. He dismissed his fears as best he could, putting on his bravest - and kindest - face. This was the end of the line. Again.

 

"HUMAN," Papyrus shouted out. "I SEE THAT YOU HAVE A MURDEROUS INTENT IN YOUR EYES!" His voice, unbeknowst to him, trembled as he spoke further. "H-HOW ABOUT YOU CONTEMPLATE ON YOUR ACTIONS? BEING NICE IS NOT SO B-BAD!" The child stared, smiling. They took a step forward.

 

"YOU HAVE THAT CREEPY LOOK ON YOUR FACE AGAIN. STOP THAT!" Another step closer to Papyrus.

 

Papyrus wasn't having it anymore. "OKAY THAT'S IT, I'M OUT!" He refused to engage in battle. "I'M NOT GOING TO STAND THERE AND TAKE IT!" Papyrus quickly turned away, beginning his escape. He sprinted towards Waterfall. In his haste, Papyrus slips on a glaze of ice on the solid, cavern floor. His attempt to break his fall caused him to land on his arms and knees, hard. He struggled to get up again. "UGH!" His bones were scratched up, his knees weak, elbows aching, and hands shaking. Papyrus looked up. The child was staring right down at him, giggling as they took delight in his resistance.

 

"P-PLEASE HUMAN! SHOW SOME MERCY! S-STOP GIVING ME THAT LOOK! IT'S CREEPING ME OUT!" Papyrus attempts to shuffle away. The child smiles at this; they gently rubbed the weapon's handle again. They have no need to move any closer. It was all evident for Papyrus. There is no possible escape.

 

"OH GOD... WHERE IS EVERYBODY?" Papyrus looked around frantically. "SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP ME!"

 

But nobody came.

 

SANS, WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME HERE? Papyrus thought sadly. He had accepted his fate. The child raised their weapon in the air, ready to deal the fatal strike. Then.

 

In a blink, Papyrus disappeared from their sight. The child's smile dropped. For a minute, they pondered over the situation. A scowl soon followed. Realization hit them; it was finally happening. The human yelled in frustration, kicking the scattered slush of snow that appeared before them. They knew full well who would be capable of this feat. Thinking about the skeleton brothers' future demise filled them with determination. The child marched onwards, continuing their pursuit of mass genocide.

 

_Undyne is next._

 

\--

 

A few hours passed by. Papyrus was no longer bothered by the mere scrapes on his bones from earlier. In the nick of time, he was teleported to safety, by none other than his brother, Sans. They had a short, but worried, exchange before their reticent walk to the golden corridor before the King's throne room. It was explained concisely to Papyrus; it was not a choice, but a duty at this point. Sans and Papyrus had to face the human. Sans would not hear it otherwise. He couldn't leave Papyrus alone anymore. They had to stick together, all the way to the end.

 

The hallway had a gorgeous layout; the elegant floor tiles were dazzling in the sunlight, pillars gracing the floor with their shadows. The great, sunlit stained-glass windows made the room all the more ornate. It was majestic, truly worthy for a royal entrance. Despite the beauty of it all, this corridor became a place for judgement. And alternatively, a place for execution. Both brothers stood by each other, side by side, in absolute silence. They knew full well this is their last stand. Finally, one of them broke the dead air. Sans, feeling compelled to have an actual conversation one last time with Papyrus before the final battle, spoke up.

 

"ready papyrus?"

 

"NO." Papyrus replied sharply. "AND I DON'T WANT TO BE."

 

 _I was afraid of this_ , Sans thought. He was beginning to regret starting a conversation with such a question. "papyrus, we talked about this already."

 

"BUT I STILL LIKE THE HUMAN!"

 

"the human is dangerous. you've seen what they have done." Sans stopped talking, expecting the conversation to be at an end. It took not a minute for the silence to be broken again. "THERE IS GOOD IN THEM! I KNOW IT!" _Welp. I was wrong._ Sans had no choice but to go forth with this.

 

"there is no doubt there is good in them, but that human is not them anymore."

 

"AND HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT?" Papyrus asked suspiciously, turning his head as he looked down at Sans.

 

"i dunno."

 

"SANS!" Papyrus was fed up. He turned to face Sans. "YOU DO KNOW!" Papyrus' loud voice echoed throughout the corridor. _Why now?_ Sans hesitantly replied. "the truth is... i actually absolutely don't know."

 

"OKAY... THAT ANSWER WAS A BIT DIFFERENT." Papyrus was taken aback. "AND SURPRISINGLY SERIOUS." He thought for a second. It was decided; Papyrus refused to let this be. He needed to know more, and was resolved to get answers. "WAIT SANS, I THOUGHT YOU EXPLAINED EVERYTHING TO ME ALREADY!"

 

"i didn't. i was only interested in getting you to come with me without any further questions."

 

"THAT TIME IS OVER SANS." Papyrus said. He was growing impatient. "SO WHAT DID YOU MEAN BY THAT?"

 

 _I guess this is it._ Sans thought. _Might as well let the cat out of the bag._ Sans spoke, appearing indifferent to Papyrus' confrontational tone. "i have done research with others about alternative timelines. we have found timelines jumping left and right, stopping and starting, until suddenly... everything ends. this phenomenon is still not fully understood. but it's an anomaly that we could not afford to lose track of."

 

"OTHERS? WE? WHO ARE TH-"

 

"they don't matter right now." Sans cut him off without any further delay.

 

SO THAT'S HOW IT'S GOING TO BE, Papyrus deduced. "FINE. HOW DID YOU KNOW THIS MASSACRE WAS GOING TO HAPPEN? YOU TOLD ME BEFORE THAT YOU SAW IT HAPPEN BEFORE."

 

"not exactly. i didn't see it happen. another sans did." Sans responded distantly. Papyrus couldn't believe what he had just heard. "WAIT WHAT!?" The echo shook the delicate glass windows.

 

"another. sans. did." Sans simply stated. _This conversation is going to wind up too long. We need to focus on the present state of things, not my research._ Sans wasn't prepared for this at all.

 

"HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT ANOTHER SANS DID? WHY ARE THERE OTHER SANS-ES!? WHERE DID THE OTHER ONE COME FROM ANYWAY!?" Papyrus's voice grew louder and louder with every question.

 

 _Papyrus, not here_ , Sans begged within. Sans finally turned to face his towering brother. His smile was ever-present, despite his resentment for these questions he brought on by his own actions. Sans watched his tone, speaking calmly. "papyrus, please quiet down. these halls echo, ya know?"

 

Papyrus realized this, lowering his voice. "OOPS. SORRY."

 

Sans gave in to Papyrus' inquiry. "anyway, about the other sans. or more like, other sans-es. there are sans-es that have seen the best possible outcomes in their timelines. other sanses were not as lucky. some stay stuck in the surface for a while longer, but at least with everybody alive. not so bad. some wind up with a smaller group of friends. the amount of friends get smaller and smaller, until almost nobody else is left. then there are the sans-es that went through what we are going through. except, this timeline papyrus?"

 

"WHAT ABOUT IT?" Papyrus closed in on Sans. Sans didn't mind this invasion of personal space, and kept going.

 

"well. this is the first one where you actually survive. to my current knowledge."

 

"SANS, BUT THAT MEANS..." Papyrus didn't have to think long to understand the dreadful implication. Tears welled up in his eye sockets. "YOU ARE LYING!" Papyrus yelled out as he fell apart, overwhelmed by his own emotional collapse. "YOU MUST BE!"

 

Sans' frustration with himself was brimming inside. _I should have expected this, so why did I say something that would upset him? This is definitely not what I need right now, no. This is not what WE need right now. I am no longer alone in this. Why did I not take this into account more before Papyrus started this discussion?_ Sans did not know where else to turn the conversation. "no, i'm not papyrus."

 

"YOU CAN'T BE THE ONLY ONE LEFT! YOU CAN'T BE WITHOUT..." Sans knelt down to Papyrus' level, grabbing him by his shoulders. He made sure to look into his brother's weeping eyes, and spoke assertively. "not me, other sans-es. me, i am with you."

 

"BUT IT'S STILL YOU!" Papyrus' abruptly stopped his crying to retort. "I JUST... CAN'T IMAGINE A WORLD WHERE I'M NOT THERE WITH YOU." The words hit Sans harder than he thought they would.

 

"..." Sans got back up. He turned around, walking away a few steps.

 

"THIS IS CLEARLY SOMETHING THAT BOTHERS YOU, DOESN'T IT?" Papyrus asked heedfully. He couldn't yet pinpoint whether Sans was sensible to this or not. "it doesn't matter right now." Sans muttered. Papyrus was quick to react. "YOU KEEP TELLING YOURSELF THAT, BUT IT DOESN'T SHOW." This sort of sentimentality is unlike the Sans he has known in his lifetime, save for those rare moments. Papyrus couldn't stand seeing him like this. He went up to Sans, and turned him around. He looked at Sans with a soft expression, disregarding his own selfish curiosity of the unknown. Sans was then met with Papyrus' embrace.

 

"SANS, YOU ARE WITH ME NOW. WE CAN MAKE THE MOST OF THIS TIMELINE. LIKE WHAT WE ARE DOING RIGHT NOW! ACTUALLY TALKING, AND NOT JUST MAKING JAPES ON ME, OR SMALL INTERACTIONS HERE AND THERE, WHENEVER YOU FEEL LIKE IT. I... I MISS THESE KIND OF CONVERSATIONS. I'M GLAD YOU'RE OPENING UP, FOR ONCE IN A BLUE MOON!" Sans' grin was genuine this time around. _I have no regrets about this conversation anymore. Afterall, isn't this kind of bonding what I wanted in the first place?_ Sans felt a huge burden lift off his shoulders. He let his guard down, now fully willing to entertain Papyrus' questions further.

 

"NOW PLEASE," Papyrus gently pulled away from the hug, and stood upright. "INFORM ME FURTHER ON THE SANS-ES! HOW DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THEM?" Sans beamed, and began his reply. He felt at ease and relaxed, despite the exposure of controversial information.

 

"heh. just science stuff i do. might as well tell ya. i work with alphys every so often. i wind up with new information from her lab. she knows more about alternate timeline stuff than i do, but thing is, she doesn't suspect the human as much as i do. sometimes she thinks i'm paranoid for following them, even though she does the same thing, but with cameras instead."

 

"WAIT! YOU HAVE BEEN STALKING THE HUMAN? THAT'S CREEPY."

 

"not if..." Sans paused for a second. _Think. Don't mention my job. And I thought I could tell him everything for once. Of course not. Not that._

 

"not if i was suspecting that they could do anything to hurt others at any point in time. here is the thing. what i have personally learned is that the human can reset a timeline. they can even reset to create another timeline. everything makes sense on my end. the human is the anomaly we have witnessed in our research on the timespace continuuum. so, of course i'm going to stalk them."

 

"OH! THAT'S INTERESTING OF YOU TO DO." _Wow. That was easy._ Sans was relieved that Papyrus didn't mind his pause. "IN THAT CASE, DO YOU SAVE OTHERS IN OTHER TIMELINES?" _Or maybe not._

 

"no."

 

"SO YOU STALK THE HUMAN, AND LET THE KILLING HAPPEN? WHY?" _Definitely not._

 

"same reason i have in this timeline, except this time you found it within yourself to run. so i helped ya along. i couldn't watch you struggle. normally i would let these things happen."

 

"IT'S WRONG THAT YOU ACTIVELY WATCH THE HUMAN, YET DON'T STOP THEM FROM THEIR PATH OF DESTRUCTION, HOWEVER LITTLE IT MAY BE." _Absolutely not!_

 

"there is very little i can do to convince them otherwise." Sans replied, still composed. The discussion was starting to go south. "the most i can do to get them to stop is in snowdin. anything further than that and i would be endangering myself and everybody else more. imagine if i interfered after they killed you. it would make everything worse. there would be nobody else to protect asgore. there are only a few timelines that meet this end, but there are too far back from the rest to be concerned about. i learned my lesson, though at the suspense of other sans-es." Papyrus gave Sans an inquisitive stare. "what?" _Oh. I just had to mention him._

 

"ASGORE? WHERE DOES ASGORE FALL INTO THIS? DOES HE DIE IN THE BAD TIMELINES, TOO?" Sans replied shortly. "everybody dies. but asgore is the last to die, after..." Sans hesitated. He could see where this conversation was headed already.

 

"AFTER WHAT?"

 

"he dies... after i die."

 

"OH." Papyrus' expression turned glum.

 

"it's nice to know that i put up a fight before the inevitable happens though." Sans continued; he was not going to let Papyrus wonder about his death too much again. "almost every time. there are a few times where the human kills other sans-es without a scratch. now that is dirty. they probably practiced with the very same one over and over again until they became predictable to the human."

 

"SANS, ASSUMING THAT YOU ARE THE SECOND TO LAST TO DIE, DOES THAT MEAN UNDYNE IS LONG DEAD IN THOSE TIMELINES?" _You really know how to pick questions, Papyrus._ Sans thought. _Too bad they are awful reminders of lost timelines._

 

"yes." Sans replied.

 

"DOES SHE PUT UP A FIGHT, TOO?" Papyrus asked, a little too curious about this particular question.

 

"yes. much more than the other sans-es do, actually. they don't ever have as much determination as she does."

 

"WHY NOT IF EVERYBODY ELSE IS DEAD?" Sans flinched a little. The hard questions never stop.

 

"i guess because they know that eventually, they will die. they don't ever give it their all. not once. just one strong attack at the beginning and another until they get tired."

 

"NOW I MUST ASK." Papyrus paused, then began his next line of questioning. "HOW DO YOU KNOW DETAILS LIKE THIS?" _Oh boy._ Sans was having difficulty trying to construct a direct answer in his head. "you know that little feeling inside of you that seems to know for sure that the human can be good?"

 

"LITTLE? SANS, I KNOW THAT THE HUMAN CAN BE GOOD!"

 

"papyrus, there is a difference between hoping they can be, and knowing absolutely, without a doubt, that they can be. from what i saw when you were confronting the human, you were not feeling quite sure of yourself. you were hoping for dear life. usually," Sans didn't bother to be sensible over the incoming detail. "the human strikes you down."

 

"T-THEY DO?" Papyrus held his hands against his face in horror.

 

"yes. and sometimes they even imitate sparing you, THEN strike you down. which is even more freaky." Papyrus was completely aghast now. Sans was not letting Papyrus' deaths down gently on him. "papyrus, your death was not easy to accept initially, especially with the promise i made to you. whether i leave or watch you fall down in other timelines is unknown to me. this timeline, i felt i had to watch it happen. i was vainly hoping you'd call for me, yell for help, fight back, something. truth is... i was ready to see you die at the human's hands."

 

Papyrus faced away. "THAT... HURTS TO KNOW."

 

"i'm sorry. but it has happened too many times. it's too painful to count."

 

Downcast by the insensible delivery of his own death, Papyrus looked back at Sans in disappointment. He spoke with dislike. "YOU ARE UNBELIEVABLE."

 

"what else can i say, papyrus? i can't change timelines. i can't change the other sans-es either. they made their decisions."

 

"AGAIN WITH THE SANS-ES." Papyrus shook off his negative feelings; he knew better than to hold all this against Sans. He pushed for more answers to make up for Sans' carelessness. "HOW DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THEIR DECISIONS? HOW DO YOU SEE THESE THINGS HAPPEN IF YOU ARE NOT THERE IN THAT TIMELINE TO WITNESS THEM?

 

"i don't see them happen." Sans shrugged. "i feel it in my bones."

 

"THIS ISN'T THE TIME TO JOKE AROUND, SANS!" Papyrus' voice echoed in the hallway. Sans had no time to mess around. "okay, not literally. i do feel it. maybe it's because i've been one of the most involved in this mess, and i got lucky. i guess i gained better perception for this kind of thing as a result of many repeats."

 

"I USUALLY SEE YOU'VE GOT A LOT TO THINK ABOUT. I SHOULDN'T BE SURPRISED. I WAS WRONG THEN! NOT ALL THE TIMES I SEE YOU STARING INTO SPACE IS DAYDREAMING AFTERALL!" Papyrus concluded confidently. He was pleased to assume that Sans was not all that lazy all this time.

 

"you're giving me too much credit. honestly, i'm taking a wild guess as to why i know certain things more than others. i don't know everything though. for example, the flower you keep talking about." Sans got irritated thinking about the subject. "about that, what the hell is up with the flower you talk to? i don't know anything about it for some reason."

 

"THE FLOWER I SPEAK TO?" Papyrus quickly remembered. "OH YEAH! FLOWEY!"

 

"yeah, 'flowey'." Sans spoke the name with hostility. It was his turn to ask questions. "why does it talk to you? is it an echo flower?"

 

"NO SANS, IT'S LIKE ONE OF THOSE GOLDEN FLOWERS THAT KING ASGORE REALLY LIKES!" Papyrus seemed more than happy to talk about the mysterious flower. Sans was not at all excited by this. Instead, he wanted to get to the bottom of this while he still had the opportunity. Sans didn't like what Flowey was telling Papyrus. "huh. strange."

 

"AND IT TALKS TO ME BECAUSE FLOWEY REALLY LIKES ME! THEY LIKE TALKING TO ME!"

 

"wonder why." Sans spoke carelessly, stuck in his thoughts.

 

"HEY! WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?" Papyrus asked Sans with a raised voice.

 

"nothing."  
  


"TELL ME!" A louder echo. _Jeez, Papyrus. Quiet down._ _I need to find an end to this._ Sans found a proper response, as to not offend his brother any further.

 

"you're really trusting towards everybody, even the human. for all we know, the flower is dangerous. why else would i not know them by now? it probably has been avoiding me for a long time." Sans paused for a moment. Another thought popped into his head. "say, papyrus. any reason in particular as to why they haven't come up to talk to me?"

 

"NOT REALLY. FLOWEY JUST TELLS ME THAT IT'S BEST TO KEEP WHAT WE SAY BETWEEN US." Sans had to accept this was as far as the conversation was going to go regarding Flowey. "okay. anyway, it seems 'flowey' is the least of our concern right now." _I guess I will have to find out for myself in another timeline._

 

"SANS." Papyrus spoke up.

 

"yeah?"

 

"THIS PLACE. I HAVE TO ASK. IS THIS WHERE YOU NORMALLY CONFRONT THE HUMAN?"

 

"yup."

 

Papyrus raised his arms in the air. "WHY HERE?"

 

"this is the last major area the human must travel before getting to asgore. where else? i have enough room to fight here, and it is enough of a safe distance away from asgore's throne room. plus, this corridor. it's breathtaking, isn't it? you can even hear birds singing outside."

 

"OUTSIDE?" Papyrus lightened up at the word. "WAIT, IS THAT WHY THE PLACE IS ALL YELLOW?" _I like these questions so much better than the rest._ Sans felt alleviated. _Glad that's over._

 

"yup. it's not the lights. it's the sun shining through the glass windows."

 

"WHAT'S THE SUN?"

 

"the sun is a big star that shines in the sky."

 

"WHAT'S THE SKY?"

 

"the sky is what the cave ceiling is to us, except it's wide open. you can't touch the sky."

 

"WOWIE! HOW DO YOU KNOW ALL THIS STUFF?"

 

"science."

 

"ALSO WHAT ARE BIRDS?"

 

"birds are little monsters that have wings and fly. they don't speak like us. they chirp pretty little tunes to call to each other."

 

"THEY SOUND ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE! I WANT TO MEET THE BIRDS NOW!" Papyrus ran to the nearest window.

 

"i'd rather you not jump out the window!" Sans teleported infront of him, raising his voice in alarm. Another echo to add to the medium. "i mean." Sans lowered his voice back to normal. "if it were safe, we would be outside right now."

 

Papyrus stood infront of Sans, deep in thought. "... THAT IS TRUE." Sans sighed, leading his brother away from the windows and back to the center of the hallway. "any more questions?" Papyrus took his time to think as he was being pulled along. "NOT REALLY."

 

"ok. ready papyrus?" They were positioned right back to where they were.

 

"I STILL AM NOT READY, SANS." Back to reality.

 

"they will be coming soon." Back to the impending strife.

 

"I KNOW." Papyrus turned to Sans again. "IS THERE REALLY NOTHING WE CAN DO TO CONVINCE THEM TO STOP?"

 

"nope." Sans replied, looking straight ahead. "if there was, they would have stopped their little genocide run long ago."

 

"I SEE." Papyrus looked down again. Sans turned his head to look at the conflicted Papyrus. "do you?" Papyrus looked back at Sans fretfully. "I DON'T WANT TO."

 

"but you have to." Sans turned his attention back to the opposite side of the corridor. "I KNOW." As so did Papyrus. "and even if you don't... well. you have no real choice in the matter as of this very moment. it's almost that time."

 

"WHAT TIME?" Papyrus asked. "a bad time," replied Sans. "WHO'S GOING TO HAVE IT?"

 

Sans turned to his brother, his right eye shut. He grinned wider than ever. "who else?"

 


	2. Desensitization

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papyrus and Sans face the genocidal child. But at whose expense? 
> 
> Are there dire consequences to this strange timeline?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The ultimate trial.

Distant footsteps are heard off on the opposite side of the regal corridor. The two brothers were alerted by the sounds after hours of waiting. It was past noon.

 

"heh. there they are," Sans said bitterly. "feel ready yet papyrus? because they are DEFINITELY not going to care otherwise."

 

The child took a few more steps, then stopped at a corner. "SANS," Papyrus asked in a hushed voice. "WHAT ARE THEY DOING?" Sans looked up at Papyrus. "they are saving in their little spot, just in case they die on their first encounter against us." Sans stopped. His pupils dilated, shocked at his own words. _Us_.

 

Papyrus took notice of his brother's sudden reclusiveness. He looked at Sans, and grew concerned. "WHAT'S THE MATTER, SANS? YOU DON'T LOOK SO GOOD."

 

"it's just that, uh..." _Why must I feel like this? The human is right there! It's been hours, so why now?_ Sans lost his original disposition for a moment. Sweatbeads were gathering on his forehead, shaken as he stared down at the floor. "i've been used to being alone in this battle. it's the first time i've ever fought alongside somebody. and... i never thought it would be you. i always assumed the worst." He quickly gathered himself, and looked to his side. He grinned happily at Papyrus. "yet here you are."

 

Papyrus grinned back. "I'M GLAD TO BE HERE WITH YOU." Papyrus looked back ahead, then frowned. The child resumed their stride. They leered at Sans and Papyrus more intently with every step. They were so enraptured to see them; the smile said it all. "BUT NOT REALLY. BECAUSE WE HAVE THAT CREEPY HUMAN COMING UP TO US. LIKE RIGHT ABOUT,"

 

"now."

 

The footsteps stopped at a fair distance away from the skeletons.

 

Their excitement at this uncharted timeline knew no bounds. " _SKELETONS!?_ I'm going to be fighting _TWO_ skeletons this time!?" They laughed with delight, then lay their blood-thirsty eyes upon the short skeleton. "Sans, _you pushover_. I missed seeing your smiling face. _I will enjoy killing you again_." Their eyes shifted to glare at Papyrus. " _So here you are!_ Aren't you _excited_ , Papyrus, to be dragged along into _your brother's side-job?_ " They snickered, turning to Sans again. "Too bad Papyrus is of no use to you. _He is forgettable, incapable of killing anybody._ Just _look_ at him! He is _shaking in his boots!_ " They paused, manifesting a sinister grin. " _Guess who I'm going to kill first?_ "

 

"no one." Sans answered flatly. The child stiffled ill laughter. "And how's _that_ going to happen? _Do tell me, Sans!_ "

 

Cuspidated bones indiscriminately poked out from underneath the floor tiles, impaling the small human's frail body without break. The rough tearing of flesh was disturbingly discernible. Blood splattered onto the pillars nearest them; the air was left with an abhorrent iron odor. The sanguine liquid dripped from the tips of the bones, with more oozing out of the child's severe abrasions. Their exposed insides were ruptured from the bone penetrating their chest, leaving an unsightly gash. They let out an agonizing shriek as they were suspended in mid-air. The child's wailing continued, until their lifeless body seized to struggle - save for some post-mortem spasms. The bones then dissipated, causing the corpse to fall head-first on the ground. The blunt force cracked their crown, leaking more blood on the marred floor tiles.

 

"don't have to." Sans replied tersely. His left eye lit up and faded within the short span of his surprise attack. "papyrus, you still with me?" Papyrus groaned and fainted at the sight of it all.

 

"guess not." Sans stared at his unconscious brother. "time to start counting."

 

\--

 

"SANS, WHAT ARE THEY DOING?"

 

"they are saving in their little spot, just in case they die on their first encounter against us." Sans paused purposefully. _Interesting._ _I feel like I said this before._ "heya bro?"

 

"YES SANS?"

 

"how are ya feeling?"

 

"SCARED!"

 

"why's that?"

 

Papyrus' eyes' popped out of his eye-sockets. He was baffled at how Sans refused to acknowledge the obvious answer, and attempted to whisper out his frustration. "BECAUSE THE HUMAN IS MARCHING TOWARDS US! THAT'S WHY, YOU BONEHEAD."

 

"heh. ok."

 

"UGH!" Papyrus knew what Sans was implying. "WE HAVE NO TIME FOR THIS."

 

"sure we do." Sans winked. Papyrus sighed, replying shortly. "I DON'T REMEMBER WHATEVER WE DID, IF I'M INFERING CORRECTLY FROM THE VERY LITTLE I GATHER FROM YOU."

 

"neither do i. but don't you at least feel like you've said the same thing before?"

 

"NO."

 

"it must take more times then."

 

"MAYBE NOT."

 

"i hope not. i would like for us to be in this together."

 

"AREN'T WE ALREADY IN THIS TOGETHER?"

 

"not quite."

 

The footsteps stopped at a fair distance away from the skeletons.

 

"heya." Sans greeted. "you look frustrated about something."

 

The child felt the urge to reply, but bit their tongue. They bore resentment at both brothers.

 

Sans' pupils faded. "want to talk about it?"

 

They let out a furious yell, charging towards Papyrus first. The battle was on. Sans gave them a weird look; he could feel this child was different in their tactics than in previous genocide timelines.

 

"uh, that's not how it works kid. you attack me first. but, if you really want to..."

 

Suddenly - a blink in time. Great, intimidating maws appeared from four sides surrounding the human. In the face of danger - sure to be their death - they barely made it out of the blasters' range. They cried out in pain as their life was being drained from their body. Papyrus was not having it.

 

"SANS! WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU DOING!?"

 

"just helping ya out. wanna give me a hand here?"

 

Papyrus looked the other way. "I-I'M NOT SURE BROTHER."

 

The child was getting up, gritting their teeth. Their eyes lit up with ire. "better be sure right now."

 

"It's _my turn now, Sans._ Your brother _won't last a minute with me._ "

 

"go on, keep talking. i wanna allllll about it," Sans taunted. "do tell me, kid."

 

They laughed bitterly and grinned. "I _know_ what you're trying to do, _Sans_ , but it _isn't going to work_. _Your brother is DUST._ " Sans was pained inside, conflicted. He couldn't force Papyrus to fight, not even at a time like this. He promised he wouldn't, yet here they were. _I have to say something. Papyrus needs some sort of initiative to at the very least defend himself. He is fully capable of it, so why won't he do it!?_ Sans couldn't react on impulse anymore. His brother's life was at stake.

 

"papyrus, i won't hesitate to kill them if they get close to you. afterall," Sans' pupils disappeared, staring dead at the human.

 

"t h a t's w h a t h a p p e n n e d l a s t t i m e."

 

Papyrus' eyes widened, and took a look at the child's face; they were clearly angry, yet they twitched with discomfort. Something must have happened that made them so uneasy from Sans' statement.

 

"SANS, DID YOU KILL THE HUMAN ALREADY? HOW MANY TIMES!?"

 

"from i gather," Sans pondered for a second, then responded casually. "just once."

 

"D-DID I HURT THEM?"

 

"nope.

 

"SO YOU DID!" Papyrus yelled accusingly.

 

"who else bro."

 

"WHY?" Papyrus asked with contempt.

 

"from what i can tell, i guess i must have gotten impatient from them talking too much." Sans shrugged carelessly. "i'm used to them being so quiet, and well..."

 

"i d o n ' t t a k e k i n d l y t o s o m e b o d y t h r e a t e n i n g," Sans' left pupil flashed in a hue of blue and yellow, turning the child's SOUL blue.

 

"t o k i l l," he raised his left arm out of his pocket.

 

m y b r o t h e r." Sans proceeded to fling the human across the room, recklessly onto some pillars, and each time summoning bones to impale them with after each unforgiving slam. It kept going,

 

_CRASH_

 

over,

 

_CRACK_

 

and over,

 

_CRUNCH_

 

and over,

 

_Screaming._

 

and over, until the human was bleeding and badly discolored all over their body from the heavy battering they have endured; their bruises were swelling and opening up. They lay there motionless on the ground, struggling to get up. Sans marched towards them, as the child attempted to grab the knife. Sans took control of it, flinging it carelessly aside. He slammed them against another pillar; a very audible, sickening crack was heard. Sans wanted them brain-dead.

 

"c'mon bro. your turn." Sans grabbed the human, and threw them infront of an appalled Papyrus.

 

"BUT T-THEY ALREADY LOOK... DEAD." He muttered weakly, taking notice of the large crack in the back of the child's skull. The split was emitting brain matter and a scarlet, thick liquid.

 

"heh thanks. but they aren't. not yet." They both stood silently. Papyrus kept their eye sockets on the child's bleeding, heavily traumatized body.

 

Sans closed his eyes, letting out a sigh. "i need you to do it. i can't be doing all the legwork, ya know? it'll tire me out. just one more hit from ya will do it."

 

Papyrus took a deep breath, picking up the human gently from the ground. "EVEN IF IT'S JUST ONE HIT, WOULDN'T THIS... GIVE ME LOVE? NOT LOVE, BUT YOU KNOW... 'LOVE'?"

 

"what other choice do you have bro. besides, assuming the human decides to RESET again, you wouldn't have gained any LOVE a few minutes prior. you'll be fine." Papyrus knelt on the ground, setting the human down infront of him, as they let out raspy, strained breaths. "get it over with, pap. think of it as... a l i t t l e p i n c u s h i o n."

 

Papyrus glared at Sans, condemning his morose behavior. "SANS!"

 

"have it your way. think of them however you want. l i k e a d e a d b o d y."

 

"SANS! STOP ACTING CREEPY!" The child's breaths began to slightly pick up, as they realized that they were going to be executioned.

 

"i n f r o n t o f y o u."

 

Papyrus shrieked at the weak movement of the child's arm, and instanteneously evoked a cage of blunt, arduous bones. Blood splattered onto Papyrus, a pool building beneath his knees. The sheer clash of flesh and bone tore and mutilated the human beyond saving. Sans was desensitized to this a long time ago. Papyrus cried out with abandon, as they grieved the loss of a friend. There was no comfort in sight; Sans looked with apathy, the lights in his eyes lost in the pitch-black eyesockets.

 

"...you'll get over it."

 

Papyrus held the corpse tightly. He slowly turned his head, revealing his blood-stained face. He uttered three cold words.

 

"I HATE YOU."

 

Sans' demeanor didn't change. "count with me, bro. two."

 

"NO."

 

"two."

 

"NO!!!"

 

"t w o."  
  


"SHUT UP!!!"

 

"s t a r t c o u n t i n g."  
  


"STOP!!! THIS IS ALL A NIGHTMARE! THIS HAS TO BE! YOU CAN'T BE LIKE THIS! I CAN'T..." Papyrus panicked, his breaths becoming erratic. He was losing his sanity.

 

"I COULDN'T HAVE KILLED THE HUMAN! I DIDN'T!"

 

"l o o k i n f r o n t o f y o u. y o u d i d i t."

 

"STOP. DOING THAT!!!"

 

"t h e n c o u n t w i t h m e. t w o."

 

Papyrus let out a shaky sigh, tormented by his actions, and his detached brother.

 

"...TWO."

 

\--

 

"SANS, WHAT ARE THEY DOING?" Papyrus suddenly felt light-headed, groaning from the dizzying sensation. Sans kept staring ahead.

 

"they are saving in their little spot, just in case they die on their first encounter against us." Sans turned to his side. "you ok bro?"

 

"UGH, YEAH. JUST A LITTLE DIZZY IS ALL. I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT WAS ABOUT..." Papyrus paused, putting his hand to his chin. "HMM. HAS THIS HAPPENED BEFORE?"

 

"maybe. did ya count with me?"

 

"I'M NOT SURE? ARE WE AT TWO?"

 

"that's right."

 

"OH MY GOD..." Papyrus trembled. "...HOW MANY MORE TIMES, SANS?"

 

"as long as that human desires. could be ten. could be fifty," Sans said casually. "or a hundred. we probably will lose count by then."

 

Papyrus put his hand do the center of his chest, closing his eyes. He felt the pang of a time of suffering. "DID I... KILL THE HUMAN...?"

 

"..."

 

"SANS... DID YOU MAKE ME KILL THEM?"

 

"does it matter now papyrus?" Sans looked back at the child.

 

"...I GUESS NOT ANYMORE."

 

The footsteps stopped at a fair distance away from the skeletons.

 

"hmm." Sans thought. "that expression... that's the expression of someone who has died two times in a row."

 

"BUT YOU KNOW WHAT THEY SAY, HUMAN! THIRD TIME'S THE CHARM!"

 

"heh." Sans' pupils disappeared. "maybe this time they won't come back."

 

The battle truly commences, until...

 

" _I'm going to kill you both!_ "

 

Sans sighed, irritated by a third inconsistency. He has gotten so used to all previous timelines that Sans was beginning to lose his patience. "don't you ever stop talking?"

 

They yelled savagely, lunging at Sans first. "finally. pal. buddy. come give me a hug!"

 

"HA! _As if I'll ever hug you, child murderer._ Papyrus, guess what? _Sans' job is_ -"

 

He caused a blink in time, turning the human blue in an instant. Their knife was gone. Sans was... hugging them?

 

"y o u a r e a s g o o d a s d e a d."

 

A bunch of bones ripped through their chest. Blood and remnants of the human's guts smeared Sans' clothes. He pushed their body off of him in disgust.

 

"three."

 

"OH MY GOD!!!" Papyrus hurried to see the human. Sans stood by idly, watching him lift the disfigured, blood-soaked corpse. Papyrus didn't understand what just happened. "SANS!!! WHAT DID YOU DO!?" Papyrus started crying. "YOU DIDN'T EVEN LET THEM FINISH WHAT THEY HAD TO SAY!!!"  
  


"they were talking too much," Sans' response was blunt - he was completely adamant despite what transpired. "usually they are silent. i wasn't interested in hearing anything they had to say."

 

Papyrus was outraged at his brother's callous behavior. "HOW ARE YOU SO APATHETIC TOWARDS THE HUMAN!? JUST LOOK AT THEM! THEY ARE-"

 

"dangerous. they went on a killing spree, thinking they were above the consequences. they were proven wrong. why continue talking when all they were doing was trying to get a stir out of us?"

 

"BECAUSE THEY MIGHT HAVE BEEN... THEY MIGHT HAVE BEEN..."

 

"they were planning to kill us ever since we left snowdin." Sans stated.

 

"YOU ARE HORRIBLE!" Papyrus yelled at Sans with revulsion. "HOW DO YOU EVEN KNOW THAT!?"

 

"didn't i tell you already? i can feel it in my bones." Sans replied sullenly.

 

"THAT'S IT! YOU ARE SO CRUEL! YOU..." Papyrus, in his hurt, firmly pointed at Sans with scorn, and continued his shaming insult. "YOU ARE ALMOST JUST AS BAD AS THE HUMAN!"

 

Sans felt a great strain in his SOUL; it afflicted him with dejection all over. "... you don't mean that."

 

Papyrus tired of Sans' behavior. He couldn't see good in him in this very moment. "I DO! I HATE THAT YOU DID THIS!"

 

Sans suddenly lightened up; he remembered an essential element in the battle. "you won't for long."

 

"OHHH!!!" Papyrus groaned in anger. "SO NOW YOU KNOW WHAT I'M THINKING IN THE FUTURE!? ENTERTAIN ME SANS. HOW DO YOU KNOW!?"

 

"remember what the human was doing in that little corner over there?" Sans pointed off into the distance. Papyrus rolled their eyes, and nodded. "YES BROTHER, THEY WERE SAVING. WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH THIS!?"

 

"that you won't remember being mean to me." Sans said, sore at heart. _Hopefully._

 

"WAIT A SECOND," Papyrus put down the corpse to the side. "DOES THAT MEAN THAT THE HUMAN IS NOT REALLY DEAD?"

 

Sans casually walked towards the mangled, gory body. "they are dead right now, aren't they?" Sans said as he kicked their face, staining his pink, soft slipper with blood from cracking the corpse's nose. "whoops."

 

"SAAANS!!!!"

 

"c'mon bro. count with me again. three."

 

Papyrus sobbed, whimpering out the number. "...T-THREE..."

 

\--

 

"SANS, WHAT ARE THEY DOING?" No response. "SANS?"

 

Papyrus, expecting an answer, turned to face him and inspected Sans' expression. "SANS?"

 

"huh? oh." Sans slowly came to. "you are here. i mean, we are here." Papyrus became uneasy about Sans' odd response. "ARE YOU OKAY?" Sans regained his presence of mind. He had to know. "do you remember anything from last time?"

 

"LAST TIME? WHAT ABOUT IT?" Papyrus was perplexed at the unforeseen question.

 

"nevermind," Sans responded half-heartedly. "it's nothing." Papyrus stared at Sans with umbrage. Sans' sudden change of heart made him push the matter further. "HEY. HEY! WHAT HAPPENED LAST TIME THAT IS MAKING YOU ACT THIS WAY!?"

 

"not right now papyrus," Sans shifted his attention to the approaching threat. "it's time."

 

The footsteps stopped at a fair distance from the skeletons. "heya." Sans greeted.

 

"..." The child stared daggers at Sans, hardening their grip on the ancient knife.

 

"heh. cat got your tongue?"

 

The implication of their last encounter motivated them to take a hard step forward.

 

"see, this is what i think kid. you keep giving me this angry look when i mention anything talking related. have you been talking a lot lately?" The child spit at the ground. "i will take that as a yes."

 

"SANS, I THINK I REMEMBER GETTING MAD AT YOU. DID THEY DIE THREE TIMES, BY ANY CHANCE?"

 

"good job bro," Sans winked. "you seem to be really picking up on this."

 

Papyrus glared at him; he was not happy with Sans. "I'M NOT LIKING IT."

 

"no one said you would." Sans said distantly. "now you either fight with me, or stand aside. i'm not in the mood for this."

 

The child threw a fit of wicked giggles. "Yes! _Keep on fighting_ , you two. It's _so nice to_ _see you both fall apart. Do you have love for your brother, Papyrus? Or LOVE?_ "

 

Papyrus hated the implication the child was making. "I WOULD NEVER HURT MY BROTHER, DESPITE WHAT HE HAS DONE! ALL HE KNOWS NOW IS RESORTING TO VIOLENCE, BUT," Papyrus looked at Sans relunctantly. "I FORGIVE HIM."

 

"But _how many times will you forgive him?_ " The child smiled mischieviously. "How many times will it take _until you hate your lazy brother? Maybe after this, you will actually hate him! Look at him, Papyrus._ He is _fuming. He wants to kill me so bad._ Sans is probably holding back _just for you."_

 

Sans stepped forward. "HAHAHA! Oh god, _you are so pathetic_. What did he say last time that _hurt you so much?_ It's too bad I wasn't there for it," they paused, then spoke spitefully. " _I would have loved to hear it. I would have loved to see your reaction. I woul-_ "

 

With no mercy, more than a dozen blasters appeared in a circular formation around the human. They fired all at once, dealing disintegrating, scorching blasts; a violent tremor shook the corridor, the sonorous attack echoing endlessly. The windows shattered at the pulsating waves of force leftover from the cataclysmic onslaught. The human lay on the floor, charred beyond recognition. The smell of burning flesh danced in the air, aided by the rush of gales from outside. Papyrus looked around him, as the beaming lights reflected on the golden floor tiles; it was truly a beautiful day outside.

 

"FOUR."

 

Sans fell to the ground, cast down by Papyrus' drastic change in demeanor. _Where is my brother?_ "...papyrus..."

 

Papyrus stared outside. The sun's brilliance did nothing to fill his emptiness. "ARE YOU HAPPY NOW, SANS? DID YOU WANT THIS?"

 

Sans closed his eyes, putting his hands to his dispirited face. "...i never asked for any of this to happen."

 

"YOU WANTED ME TO ATTACK THE HUMAN. YOU WANTED ME TO BE ABLE TO KILL, RIGHT?"

 

"it's not like that!"

 

"IS IT!?"

 

"no!"

 

"THEN WHAT WAS IT!?"

 

"i just didn't want you to DIE!"

 

"WELL I DIDN'T!"

 

Sans fell silent. He asked in a whisper. "...do you hate me?"

 

"...NO. BUT," Papyrus turned around, giving Sans a critical look. "I AM GREATLY DISAPPOINTED WITH YOU."

 

"...let's just... get this over with." Sans got up, pushing off his distress. "four."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The REAL battle finally begins.


	3. You Are A Great Partner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After another LOAD, a private conversation is had between the fallen human and Frisk.

It is now the fifth LOAD. As the child finished loading their SAVE, they impulsively made their way forth. A disturbance in the skeletons' synergy was brought to light, from what they avidly observed in their prior runs. How perfect, they mused, running their fingers smoothly along their svelte knife. Their pupils remained dilated, under the spell of unprincipled curiosity; a festering realm of thoughts greatly influenced the child's behavior. The child, now nothing more than a vessel for the abnormality, has been vexed to the point of torture. The thoughts' weak whispers intensified into virulent verbosity, raising a cold-blooded killer with every malignant word. It left them no moment of clarity, let alone think for themselves anymore. Every now and then, their actions were allowed, only to be given and taken away in an instant. They have become a wretched monstrosity; a living nightmare.

 

 _Frisk..._ A biting pang hit their corrupt psyche.

 

 _Frisk..._ It continued its murmur; a hostile undertone, yet so mellifluous.

 

 _I... I'm not sure I want to continue this... Chara, I..._ The child meekly voiced their concern to themselves. A layer of mistrust has build with every LOAD. It was only a matter of time.

 

It had taken so long.

 

_Chara... We can't keep doing this... I'm... I'm scared... I'm so scared..._

 

_Frisk... You know what you must do... Kill them. Spare no enemy. We must secure this timeline, and bring it into nonexistence. Just like all the times before, my dear partner. I admit, I am still disappointed with you. Had you not have let me down multiple times, I wouldn't be such an aggravation to you. Don't you see, Frisk? This will be a milestone for us. This timeline is much too rare... too precious... to give up on. A singularity, Frisk. Finally. The scuffles with Sans have gotten stale. This is a welcome change. A welcome change indeed._

 

Shallow breaths was all Frisk could sound out. Their mouth turned dry, reaching the back of their tightened throat. Swallowing the painful lump, they regained their posture and kept walking.

 

_Stay determined, Frisk. Your determination has brought you this far, hasn't it? So don't. Let me. Down._

 

The voice within had acquired an intelligence of its own. To the skeletons, Frisk's true intentions hid in obscurity. What was evident was that they will stop at nothing to quench their bloodthirst, and achieve their own perverted sense of fulfillment.

 

_Afterall... We are still partners, right?_

 

_Right?_

 

The child shakily nodded in defeat.

 

_... Yes._

 

_Very good, Frisk. So now, you know full-well what we must do._

 

Frisk clenched their fists; Chara's chilling memento trembled from the added pressure.

 

_So be good, my child._

 

_Won't you?_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Originally, I was going to make this last three chapters. Due to work, I have very little free time. I accidentally ended up bringing Chara into this, after not being satisfied with the beginning of "Danse Macabre" (the last chapter). I ended up revising the story so much that there was no possible way that I would get it done in one day. I suppose that's what happens when I go more than five days without consistently writing. I will make it my goal to stay up as long as I need in order to finish "Danse Macabre". I thank you all for reading and for your patience.


	4. Danse Macabre

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The brothers knew their lines. However, as soon as that LOAD hit them, they knew deep down inside something must have gone awry. Yet, there was hope; they also knew that there is no ordeal they could not conquer - that is, if they start making things right. There is only one way.
> 
> How will they SAVE each other from this special hell?

Papyrus was experiencing grief, yet he couldn't explain why. No explanation was needed; Sans already had done enough for Papyrus to figure the rest out for himself, leaving him permanently disillusioned. The crushing heartache that bore on his chest encumbered Papyrus as he drowned in his own regrets, seeking retribution for his fall from grace. The length of this cycle of death and suffering is undetermined. To Sans' knowledge, the child's determination knows no bounds - an admirable attribute, and a deadly character flaw, all in one. If only Frisk had fought back the urge to search for alternate routes, Sans wouldn't remain an esoteric nihilist. His brother's existence out of the many godforsaken timelines brought him respite.

 

But not for long.

 

The doting profoundness between the duo was fading away. Their japes are nothing more than a distant memory. Sans' facetious nature, which annoyed Papyrus daily, turned out to be a sham. Papyrus' droll, lighthearted nagging, along with the high standards he set himself to, have been broken down, failing to be a role model for his insincere brother. Their altercations from past battles brought on a rift between them - the dire consequence of their inability to empathize with one another in the face of adversity. Such feelings carried onto the next LOAD. And onto the next. And the next. Their descent from harmony pleased the human so. How they could recompense for the damage dealt, let alone face each other, is hardly possible. What would it take for the two to reconcile? To find that strength, the tenacity, their unity? Coming to terms with each other would be the first step in ending the human's ambition to end their world, once and for all.

 

Somehow, they had to atone for their sins. One of them just wanted to stop caring altogether; not much of a difference from previous timelines. The other felt disapproval for his brother and was having difficulty overcoming his new individuality. Yet, Papyrus and Sans held on firmly to hope; hope that they will get over this mental obstacle. To compassion; their combined empathy could bring them far. And to love, accomplishing what was once thought to be impossible; Papyrus surviving the slaughter. With so many dead in the Underground, what better time than to rely on each other? To trust each other? To perhaps, even fight together confidently, without succumbing into ever-lasting pessimism? The circumstances, at this present moment, kept them mute, still as statues in thoughtful solitude. Their eyes met the ground in self-disgust.

 

"... BROTHER?" Papyrus timidly shook Sans' shoulder. He needed Sans' undivided attention, for a start. Their feelings could not go unspoken for much longer. Papyrus knew better; his brother admires him to no end. How could he ever forget? Papyrus couldn't. They both couldn't.

 

Despite it all, Papyrus was still him.

 

"... SANS?" No response.

 

"HOW MUCH LONGER CAN THIS TAKE," Papyrus lamented. "I DON'T KNOW IF I CAN KEEP GOING LIKE THIS. IT HURTS... SO BAD."

 

_I don't want to kill my friend. I don't want to lose what Sans and I have._

 

_I don't want to lose anybody._

 

"SANS, PLEASE," Papyrus begged. "SPEAK TO ME. SAY SOMETHING... ANYTHING..."

 

Sans mumbled. "... something... anything..."

 

Papyrus resisted the urge to groan at his brother's ways.

 

"THANK YOU."

 

"you're welcome." It was clear to Papyrus that Sans was not up to talking about anything. Papyrus was there for him for all the wrong reasons. His focus on the end goal ignored Papyrus' moral dilemma. Sans felt that Papyrus' change was his punishment for his selfish intentions.

 

"... ARE YOU READY?" Papyrus asked.

 

"ready as i'll ever be, bro."

 

"SANS, YOU SOUND SO DEAD INSIDE."

 

"what'dya know, pap," Sans responded in a deadpan manner. "inside and out. i finally made it."

 

"DON'T SPEAK THAT WAY." Papyrus began to tell off Sans. "I DON'T LIKE IT. WHY CAN'T WE JUST START OVER?"

 

"we did," Sans glanced at Papyrus. "and look where it got us."

 

"IF YOU INSIST." Papyrus looked back and spontaneously took Sans into his arms. "SEE? AREN'T WE THE BEST? OF COURSE, I'M CLEARLY THE GREATEST. AND YOU, WELL... YOU COULD USE A LITTLE IMPROVEMENT. BUT YOU ARE STILL YOU! AND I'M OKAY WITH THAT, BROTHER. EVEN IF THE OTHER SIDE OF YOU WORRIES ME TO NO END, I KNOW DEEP DOWN, THERE IS ALWAYS GOOD IN YOU. YOU NEVER ABANDONED IT. I BEG YOU, SANS. SPEAK UP! DON'T LEAVE ME ALONE. I'M TIRED OF FEELING ALONE, TOO, SANS. AND YOU KNOW WHAT? IF WE ARE BOTH ALONE, LET'S BE ALONE! TOGETHER! IT'S THE ONLY WAY TO MOVE ON AND PUT A STOP TO THIS NONSENSE. WE ARE BROTHERS! NOT STRANGERS. SO PLEASE. DON'T ACT LIKE ONE. YOU ARE BETTER THAN THIS. I... I WILL EVEN FIGHT WITH YOU IF IT WILL MAKE YOU FEEL BETTER."

 

Sans' grin widened just a little bit. "really bro?"

 

"ABSOLUTELY! HOW COULD I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, NOT HELP SOMEONE IN NEED OF ASSISTANCE? ESPECIALLY WHEN THAT SOMEONE HAPPENS TO BE YOU, MY DEAR BROTHER! THIS WILL BE HARD FOR ME, BUT I'M SURE WITH ENOUGH... PRACTICE, I WILL BE ACCUSTOMED TO THIS KIND OF HELL, I MEAN, HELP."

 

Sans glum look diminished completely, as he began to accept Papyrus' unconditional embrace, hugging him back. "heh. this is pretty hellish, papyrus."

 

Papyrus grimaced for a sparse moment."YOU ARE TOO RIGHT ABOUT THAT."

 

"talking about hell, pap," Sans plopped down from Papyrus' arms, facing the human once again. "here they come."

 

The footsteps stopped at a fair distance away from the skeletons.

 

"hmm." Sans thought. "that expression... that's the expression of someone who has died four times in a row."

 

"I MUST ASK," Papyrus reacted to the familiar words. "WHAT HAPPENS AFTER FOUR, SANS?"

 

The hollowness of Sans' eye-sockets were telling. "how about we found out?"

 

The child was pulled into battle.

 

"it was a beautiful day outside."

 

"I SAW THE BIRDS!"

 

"i saw the shattered window."

 

"..." Papyrus' faint recognition of his brother's dismal allusion sent shivers down his spine; his face was cast down with a doleful frown.

 

"..." Sans' eye sockets fell shut, dwelling upon the reality of a time that once was.

 

Papyrus' diverted his gaze to the same golden window. The mirror-like lustrous glass distinguished the splitting image of himself; the destruction of his immaculate virtue incarnate. "THAT WAS THEN."

 

"he looked outside."

 

Out of the blue, the distinct blink abrupted their monologue. Frisk, without a shadow of a doubt, knew what they were in for.

 

"AFTER I KILLED YOU."

 

Or so they thought.

 

Papyrus commenced; he unveiled an array of bones, pushing forth from the ground, and from the ceiling, imprisoning the human as their attempt to jump out of the way failed. Sans took control of the human's SOUL, throwing them onto the piercing bones, back and forth. They were wildly launched to the opposite side of the corridor; Papyrus evoked a labyrinth of his own as the human's magic-induced vertigo impaired their sense of balance, traversing at a wayward speed. Sans readied his blasters from all sides. The crashing battered the human greatly, leaving them at the mercy -- or lack thereof - of Sans' blasters. The maws came from each corner, each side, each angle, each direction at an inconsistent sequence, the cacophony shattering the sun-lit windows. Their efforts to maneuver themselves out of the fiercesome attacks from the merciless skeletons were an absolute waste. Their body made known the extend of their trauma. Broken, sedated and wiped out from all sorts of maladies, their mind vacated elsewhere; their eyes stayed expanded, from sheer shock. The human came to a bleak conclusion.

 

_Sans' blasters are too irregular. Papyrus' attacks are... Who killed me?_

 

_Wait a second... was it both of them...? It can't be...!_

 

\--

 

"heh. this is pretty hellish, papyrus." Sans got the feeling he said this already. "YOU ARE TOO RIGHT ABOUT THAT." So did Papyrus, yet both skeletons disregarded it, and continued to keep each other close. They cherished the bond between them, letting nothing - not even a LOAD - get in the way of their temporary happiness.

 

"so you noticed," Sans glowered aside his loving brother's shoulder at the human with antipathy, his deep-rooted distrust for them stronger than ever. The foreboding thought of waking to an intimate moment with his brother right after death was the ultimate offense to him yet. "I KNOW." Papyrus refrained from conveying his sorrow any further, the consternation inciting him to discreetly shed tears; a most sentimental moment that was supposed to make their hearts beat as one would soon lose its depth. "THIS IS TRULY DISTURBING... WHY SAVE AGAIN? WHY HERE?"

 

"i don't know. but hey, maybe it's for the best," Sans thought of words to bring Papyrus the assurance he needed. "ya know, i thought of an entire new way to look at this. wanna know?"

 

"YES."

 

"the human may have control of time, but they seem to have neglected one thing. whenever we have moments like this, it always lifted our spirits, without fail. this hug papyrus? it is the perfect way to forgive and be compassionate, when words will not suffice."

 

Papyrus was impressed and moved by Sans' insight. "YOU KNOW WHAT? YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT! IT'S POINTLESS TO SULK AND WASTE OUR TIME TRYING TO TALK THINGS OVER, WHEN ALL WE NEEDED WAS THIS. THE HUMAN HAS MADE A MISTAKE! THIS HUG WILL NOT BE TARNISHED BY OUR INNER STRIFE. IT'S ALREADY OVER BEFORE IT HAS EVEN BEGUN. COME NOW, BROTHER! LET'S GIVE THIS HUMAN THE RETRIBUTION THEY RIGHTFULLY DESERVE!"

 

Sans became starry-eyed as he plopped down from Papyrus' arms before facing the human once more. "you are so cool, bro."

 

"DON'T START," Papyrus said in a huff. "WE MUST BE PREPARED!"

 

The footsteps stopped at a fair distance away from the skeletons.

 

"hmm." Sans thought. "that expression... that's the expression of someone who has died five times in a row."

 

"WOWIE! THAT'S THE NUMBER OF THE PUZZLES THAT I MADE FOR YOU AND YOU DIDN'T SOLVE!"

 

"Frisk."

 

The skeletons eyed the child with interest. "that... sounds familiar."

 

"ENLIGHTEN US, HUMAN! DO YOU INTEND TO FRISK US?"

 

"My name is Frisk. There," the slouching child muttered faintly. Fine, auburn hair shrouded their drooping head, inhibiting their drab mental state. The change in character took the skeletons by surprise. They stared at each other. _What is going on_? "It's all I can say before..."

 

They roused their head, exposing the twisted demon within; their deformed smile, lifeless eyes and distorted voice complimented the anathema well. " _I will kill you both!_ " They burst into a fit of mad laughter. The brothers delayed no longer.

 

Frisk was pulled into battle.

 

"it was a beautiful day outside."

 

"I SAW THE BIRDS!"

 

"i saw the shattered window."

 

A blink. Frisk's adversaries set their attacks into motion sooner than expected. As soon as the bones rose from the floor, Frisk dived out of the way.

 

_So THAT'S how it's going to be. Just like I thought. They are absolutely unpredictable._

 

_How ENTERTAINING!_

 

Blue again, Sans flickered his left hand. Again they were flung to the other side of the room. Papyrus' labyrinth emerged yet again, with significant alterations. Frisk impetuously hurried through the maze in desperation. The enemy maws adjacent to them shot with calculated precision. Sans' hair-trigger blasts were carefully channeled as Frisk angled themselves through narrow twists and turns. The outlet was within sight, Frisk aimed for their landing. A fine bone cut Frisk's knee, causing them to lose their footing, tumbling hard onto the ceramic tiles. They barely made it out of Papyrus' puzzle. Patches of their skin were burned from Sans' raid. Their muscles throbbed after thudding numerous times onto the labyrinth's dense bone walls. Frisk's charred clothes were tattered from the whet bones.

 

Papyrus smirked, swaying their arm into the air in victory. "DON'T YOU LIKE IT, HUMAN? I DECIDED TO PUT AN EDGE INTO MY REGULAR ATTACKS!"

 

Frisk got up. _"My turn."_

 

They rushed towards Sans, breaking lose a series of glinting strikes. The fine blade rung in the air with every slash, creating a hymn of consistent high-pitched humming.

 

Sans was limber, hands in his pockets as always. He quickened his pace, knowing full well that the first blow to him would be the last to finish him off. The same would go for Papyrus, for the extend of Frisk's LOVE was capable of annihilating the entire Underground. The skeletons were no exception to the human's wrath.

 

" _You_ have caused me so much grief."

 

_MISS._

 

" _Every single time_ , you actually _don't_ give it your all."

 

_MISS._

 

 _"_ I wonder if _now_ you are. _"_

 

 _MISS._ Again and again, Sans showed off his dexterity through his steady form, as if deliberately mocking them with every sidestep. Frisk brutishly grunted with every failed strike, becoming high-strung and enraged. They were tiring from exerting themselves too fast, and too soon. As Frisk continued their onslaught, a voice spoke firmly from within.

 

_"Frisk. You know how Sans is. He can't dodge forever. Keep attacking."_

 

They looked a little more closely at the spry skeleton; sweatbeads were already building on Sans' forehead. Frisk saw this as an advantage.

 

"Say, you've got some fancy footwork, Sans!"

 

_MISS._

 

_"You good-for-nothing brother."_

 

A glimpse was all Frisk needed; Sans' pupils disappeared for a second, and gave out a quick huff. _MISS._

 

" _Oh my_ , did I hit a _soft spot_? I didn't know you were still capable of having _feelings._ "

 

Papyrus watched his stressed brother, unable to intervene. That is, unless he had a death wish. He knew Sans was offended by the cheap insult, and noticed a loss of balance in his movements. The misstep caused a cut to his sleeve as he fell to the ground. Papyrus screamed internally, instinctively coming to Sans' rescue. There was no other choice. He knew what he must do.

 

"HUMAN!" Papyrus yelled out, flailing their arms wildly in the air. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING!? KILLING SANS THIS EARLY!? YOU DON'T STAND A CHANCE AGAINST ME!"

 

Frisk gave a demonic, gratified smile. " _Finally. I can get rid of you._ " They charged at Papyrus, thrusting their knife in the air as they closed in on him. Papyrus was paralized with fear, closing his eyes.

 

Sans gave a sharp look. He teleported and leapt to Papyrus' side, pulling him out of the human's reach after another shortcut; Sans sent them back home. He admonished his petrified brother sternly for the foolish move. "bro, are you insane? don't you get it? THAT is what they wanted you to do." All Papyrus could do was nod shakily. Sans attempted to snap him out of it. "heya, knock-knock."

 

Papyrus answered weakly. "W-WHO'S THERE...?"

 

"frisk."

 

"FRISK?" Papyrus asked densely. "FRISK WHO?"

 

"woah, i'm not asking you to frisk anybody, bro. what kind of brother do you take me for?"

 

Papyrus lowered his voice, his eyes zooming in at Sans with disapproval. He went on to deplore him in an unbroken, firm voice. "SANS... THAT WAS ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE."

 

"i'm turning you in!" Sans played the damsel in distress, speaking in a fretful, high-pitched voice. "you robbed me of my enjoyment!" Papyrus couldn't help but smile. Sans had done his part. Despite being out of harm's way, the crisis is far from over. With all the monsters capable of killing the human gone, they were the only ones left to face the quagmire Frisk had wrought upon the Underground. Running away from their problems was out of the question; the human would find them sooner or later, if they wanted to bother pursuing them to begin with. It also gave Frisk the perfect opportunity to kill Asgore, and possible steal the SOULS, finalizing the vanquishment of their timeline.

 

 

Sans turned solemn promptly, looking to Papyrus. "it's time to go back bro."

 

Papyrus sighed sadly. "... I KNOW."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's not over yet.

**Author's Note:**

> Thought this was kind of cute? It all goes downhill from here, ladies and gentlemen.
> 
> Up next: Skelebros versus the genocidal Frisk.


End file.
